Apple updates MacBooks to 'Merom'

Apple has upgraded its MacBook consumer notebook line, dropping the range's Core Duo processor for a more up-to-date Core 2 Duo chip. Once again three models are on offer: two white ones and a black version.

This time, the 2GHz black model has a 120GB hard drive as standard, so the extra $200 it costs doesn't entirely go on the paint job. The 2GHz white MacBoook has an 80GB hard drive. Both machines will ship with 1GB of 667MHz memory.

The low-end white MacBook has a 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo, 512MB of 667MHz RAM and a 60GB hard drive. All three machines once again feature a 13.3in, 1,280 x 800 display, powered by an integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics engine, again with 64MB of main memory as its frame buffer. The MacBooks have a built in iSight webcam, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0.

The three models are priced at $1099/£749, $1299/£879 and $1499/£999, moving up the line. ®